Sliding-door hanger.



No. 795,241. PATENTED JULY 18, 1905.

H. J. WEISS.

SLIDING DOOR HANGER.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 30. 1904.

6m, f jilmgzmd NITED STATES Patented July 18, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY J. IVEISS, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO HENRY U. SIMS, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

SLIDING-DOOR HANGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 795,241, dated July 18, 1905.

Application filed June 30, 1904. Serial No. 214,830.

To Z7 whom, it nuty concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY J. WEIss, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sliding-Door Hangers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to new and useful improvements in hangers for sliding doors, and especially to hangers of the general charactor or type embodying in their structure means providing for the vertical adjustment of the door in order to establish the proper clearance-space between the bottom of the door and the floor over which it moves or for other purposes.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a hanger of the character mentioned which is extremely simple in construction, of few parts, and which may be manufactured at small cost.

Further objects are to construct the hanger in such a manner that the door may be readily and quickly adjusted vertically with relation thereto and to provide a novel means for connecting the door to the hanger which will not require the usual bolts or other fastening devices and which will permit the door to be easily and quickly disconnected from the hanger when occasion requires.

A further object is to provide a hanger which may be constructed largely of sheet metal and which will at the same time have the requisite degree of strength.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the various elements, as will be fully described hereinafter and the novelty of which will beparticularly pointed out and distinctly claimed.

I have fully and clearly illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawings, to be taken as a partof this specification, and where- 1n Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a complete structure embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view. Fig. 3 is avertical transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. A is a detail perspective of one end of the attaching-plate for the door. Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a plan view in detail of one end of the hanger, and Fig. 7 is a detail bottom plan view of the hanger-bar.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the attaching-plate, adapted to be secured on the upper edge face of the sliding door and by means of which, in connection with other instrumentalities to be set forth hereinafter, the door is connected to the hanger. This attaching-plate comprises two flat metallic plates 2 2, laid parallel to each other with the fiat faces in the same horizontal plane, the combined width of said blanks being preferably such as to permit theouter longitudinal edges of the blanks to be flush with the front and rear faces of the door to which the attachingplate is secured. At one end the attachingplate is provided with a vertical post having suitable keepers, the construction of which will now be described. Adjacent one of the ends thereof and at their inner edges each of the plates 2 is struck up to provide verticallyprojecting parallel members or webs 3 3, which are arranged with their inner faces in contact with each other, so that the two webs may cooperate to brace and support themselves, the said members constituting a post rising vertically from the attaching-plate; Each of the said members on the inner vertical edge thereof is provided with an outwardly-directed 8 Wing portion or projection A, the body of which is bent backwardly upon the member, but spaced apart therefrom, as at 5, all substantially as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the said wing portions, as will be 5 seen particularly from Fig. Z'being opposite to each other. The lower edges of the wings& are formed at their lower edges with downwardly-projected outwardly-flaring portions 6, which serve a purpose to be made 9 more clearly apparent hereinafter. For the per and lower boundaries ol the recess to pre-' vent relative vertical movement of the parts as above stated. It will thus be seen that by the structure just described the attachingplate is provided at one end with a posh which post has formed thereon keepers or retainers formed by the wings the function and purpose ot' which will be de cribed presently. At the opposite end of the attaching-plate from the one justdescribed aid plate is pr vided with a recess or housing, the construction ol which will now be descri ed.

Each of the plates 2 has struck, up there-- t'rom on a line longitudinaliy thert-oli a triangular portion 9. which portion is bent to lie in a vertical plane. the said portion being shown in form a right triangle, the sides o'l. which are constituted by the line upon which said portion is bent and the vert lCZl edge as showtn the hypotenuse r-tatiding oblit tt-ly to the plane of the top p 't and inclining upwardly from the hodyet said plate toward the vertiral side of said triangle. inst statethcaeh plate 2 is formed with o. a of these triangular rer ieal p r ions-r and it will be seen t'r mlhe druwii'igs that the line upon which they are struck up lrnn the plates is at a distance 'lroin the inir r g' s of the plates, so that when the p e -ttittftl in position on the d r a tsp ill) will he left between the said veri ital triangulin' lll'llllillS to term a. hou1-V-ing, ot' whirh the triangular portions constitute the side walls. Along the line ol its inclined ed \erteal wall 9 is provided with an lillt' 'l l tiange being lit-ought;

lit, the llanges on t-aitl into contact with each other at eir outer edges and by stnh en; 'emetit c tit'tli'Q the upper wall ol the housing the parts of the housing and ends of the plates 2 2 upon which they are mount'd being set-tired t ether by a tongt'tc l2, integral with one o t the flanges ll and passed through an ope. g 13 in the opposite vertical wall and at its tree end bent back upon itself down into p si rive engagement with the outer surtaee oi the tiange it. The 'llanges l1 aretormt-d on their inner edges at one end with recesses H which when the pa ts are as embled in proper relation regis-= ter with liltiil e h r to proride an openi Hg )5 in the upper wall ol housing the purpose of which will appear presently.

l6 designates a hanger-bar to which the attaching-plate is hung, as he retna'tter described,

and to which is secured the bearing member in which the bearingrollers upon which the door travels are jonrnaled. Thi h nger-bar 16 is constructed from a b ank 01 sh -l metal bent upon itself along its t .agitudiiol iter, so that, as shown in the drawing said bar consists ol two wings it arra in parallel vertical planes, said l ar b ing appri Qanalely the same length as the top pla e o the door and when in operative pslliiltl is arraagetl with its told-line lowernri t. toward. th t p of the door. At one end that toward the end of the atta h ire-p ate ca -wine the pot-t and keepers as he vi t r de cri bed lo ar 15 is slit along the told in a sh rt e a as at id. had the ends ol tln- W lly ii a e spread apart, as shown in Fig that spae is lrni d l awe li tl wings ea -rah of which rat out jacent ts end on its ti l a as at iii to form parallel 1 (clearly s own. in Tags. 1 and li aitl or being p ced apart r om eat-h other g'teal t than the width of the p st :lornnd y the members 3 8 on the top plattn The hangerbar at the end opposite to that carrying the hook so cut for a short Cl'l tit'} along the tolttline, as at 2i and the wt constituting i bar are. spaeed apart; v rti ally tht a ong an oblique line vitirely across the said har thus training a pas age-way 22, the longit tidinal axis oi which is substantially at rigl'n' armies to the inclined upper wall ol the hot1:-ing on the top pla to For the door. Tlithin this iiassage-wav at a p int intermediate its ends is inoimted, to be held against rotation, an interim-ly-threaded block 23. This block may be seet r -tl in posi ion and held against rotation in a number of ways; but as an ellicit-nti and simple meansof accomplishing the obiet-ls in view i. cut in the opposite wings of the bar 16 a pair of parallel slits 24:, the pair in one wing alining with the pair in the other and both pairs in substantial parallelism with the inclined upper wall of the housing on the top plate. The metal confined between these t-llt-j is then cut transversely to form oppositely-disposed t ,ngues 25 the ends of which are bent slightly outward, as shown in Fig 1. 2 and T, to provide alining openings 26 26 ll] the wings 17. The block 23, above reterred to, which is meter-ably angular in Sllapu is seated in the pocket termed by the tongues .23 and the op nings 26, with the tongues engaging the straight edges of the blo l; the angular portions of the block projeeting through the said openings, as shown in Fig. 2.

The hanger-bar, as above described, is connected to the attaching-plate in the following manner: The bar is manipulated so as to place the hooks LO, heretofore described, on either side of the post carried by the attaching-plate, said post being received in the space between the hooks, which are then raised until the hooks engage the keepers 4, as shown in Fig. 1, in which position the parts cooperate during the sliding movements of the door and when it is stationary.

Arranged with the head 27 within the housing on the top plate and having its shank and stem extending upwardly through the slot 15 in the top wall of said housing is an adjusting-screw 28, the shank of which is projected upwardly through the passage-way 22 in the hanger-bar 16 and threaded into the block 23, heretofore described. It will be seen that by operating the screw 28 the distance between the hanger-bar and the door will be regulated, the said bar being swung away from the top plate, the connection between the hooks and the keepers on the post serving as a hinge or fulcrum for said bar.

Pivotally mounted on the hanger, but at a point intermediate the ends thereof, is a vertical member 29, formed from a sheet-metal blank, which is bent transversely and folded down upon itself to provide two legs 30 30, which are arranged straddle of the hangerbar and are pivoted thereto by a bolt 31, extending through said legs and the bar. This vertical member 29 carries the carriage, upon which are mounted the rollers upon which the hanger travels during the movement of the door. This carriage and the manner of mounting the rollers thereon may be described as follows: lVithin the vertical member 29, at a point adjacent its upper extremity and above the hanger-bar, is provided a circular opening 32, closed on opposite sides by concaved circular disks or plates 33, the concaved faces of said disks being directed inwardl y,thus forming an annular chamber substantially as shown in the dr'awings. Centrally of each of the plates 33 are formed alining bearingapertures 34:, through which is arranged a horizontally-disposed shaft 35, said shaft eX- tending through the annular chamber above referred to and projecting on opposite sides of said plates for a short distance, and on the opposite ends of the shaft are arranged bearing-rollers 36, the structure and form of which is immaterial. Located upon the shaft 35, between the rollers 36 and the plates 33, are concave spring-washers 37, the edges of which are arranged in engagement with the inner faces of the rollers and the backs or rear faces of which are in engagement with the disks 33, said washers serving to effectually maintain said disks in positive engagement with the side faces of the vertical member 29. WVithin the chamber formed by the member 29 and the disks 33 and about the shaft 35 are arranged a plurality of bearingballs 38, which contribute to the easy running of the hanger during the sliding movement of the c oor.

The hanger, as above described, is adapted to travel upon parallel tracks 39, between which the vertical member 29 depends when the hanger is in operative position, the construction of said tracks being immaterial to the structure of the hanger, which is adapted to be used in connection with tracks or guides ofany of the well-known forms. However, I have shown these tracks as being of an inverted-V shape, as shown in the drawings in Fig. 3, and the treads of the rollers are so formed as to leave a space between their extreme outer edges and the bottom of the tracks, so that dust and other gritty substance which may from time to time accumulate in the bottoms of the tracks will not interfere with the easy passage of the rollers.

It will be seen from the drawings, taken in connection with the description, that when the hanger and door are arranged in operative relation the door is supported from the rollercarriage and'hanger-bar by means of the post carried by the top plate and the screw 28 adjustably connecting said top plate and the hanger-bar; When in this position, theheight of the door from the floor may be regulated either to increase or diminish the same by rotating the screw 28 in one direction or the other, which rotation will either permit the door to be lowered or drawn up, according to the direction of rotation, the door having a pivotal connection to the hanger-bar by virtue of the engagement of the hooks 19 with the keepers 4:.

The hanger, as above described, also provides for the easy and rapid detachment of the door from connection therewith, which is accomplished by tilting the end of the door so as to move the keepers 4: out of engagement with the books 20, after which the door is swung to the right until the screw is permitted to pass out of the housing through the slot 15, when the door is released and may be removed from its casing.

I prefer to reduce the shaft 35 near its end portions and to mount the bearing-rollers 36 on these reduced portions to prevent any lateral movement of the rollers on' the shaft, which would increase the friction against the washers 37.

It will also be noted in Figs. 2 and 6 that the outer ends of the hooks 20 are spacedapart or spread, so that they serve as guides to as sist in causing the hooks to properly engage the post and to provide for a more ready assembling of parts, which is a particular advantage of my improved door-hanger.

Though I prefer to construct the hanger parts of stamped metal, it is evident that the advantages of construction and operation will be of equal value when the parts are formed in any other equally available manner, as where the parts are cast or machined. 1 do not, therefore, desire to limit myself to this particular detail of my preferred construction.

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It will be noted in Figs. 1 and 4 that the plates 11 have overhanging dowmvardly-inclined lugs or projections 40, the purpose of which is to prevent the head 27 of the supporting-bolt from slipping out of engagement with the hanger when in operation. To disengage the parts, it is therefore necessary to unscrew the bolt until its head 27 can be passed under these flanges.

hat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a door-hanger,.a hanger member, a door-attaching means associated with said hanger, a supporting member pivotally connected to said hanger member, and a rollersupporting shaft pivotally journaled upon antifriction-bearings carried by said supporting member.

2. In a door-hanger, an attaching means adapted to be secured to the door and provided at one end with a post having oppositely-disposed lateral projections, a hanger member provided atone end with spaced hooks adapted to straddle said post and engage the projections thereon, and means to adjust the hanger member with relation to the attaching means.

3. In a door-hanger, an attaching means comprising two plates, each provided at one end with a vertical member, said members eoacting to constitute a vertical post, having projections thereon, a hanger member provided with spaced hooks straddling the post and engaging said projections, and means to adjust said member with relation to the attaching means.

4.. In a door-hanger, an attaching means comprising two plates, each provided at one located therein, and an ad usting-screw caracting to constitute a vertical post provided end with a vertical member, said members cowith a projecting portion, one of said members having a ton ue in engagement with the other to secure the members together, a hanger member provided with spaced hooks straddling the post and engaging said projecting portion, and means to adjust said member with relation to the attaching means.

5. In a door-hanger, an attaching means comprising two plates, each provided at one end with a vertical member having projections, said members combining to constitute a vertical post, one of said members having a recess, and the other a tongue engaging said recess, a hanger member provided with spaced hooks straddling the post and engaging the projections on said vertical members and means to adjust the hanger member with relation to the attaching means.

6. In a door-hanger, an attaching means provided with a post at one end, said post having lateral projections, and also with a housing at the opposite end having an inclined upper wall, a hanger member provided with spaced hooks at one end straddling said post and engaging the projections thereon, a pocket in the other end of said member, an interiorly-threaded block in said pocket and an adjusting-screw in said housing and engaging the block.

7. In a door-hanger, an attaching means comprising two plates, and having a post at one end of said means and a housing at the other end formed by portions of said plates, a hanger member provided with a hook engaging said post, and means located partly within the housing and engaging the hanger 1 for adjusting said hanger and attaching means with relation to each other.

8. In a door-hanger, an attaching means, comprising two plates formed at one end with vertical members combining to form a vertical post, each vertical member being provided with a lateral projection, each of the opposite ends of said plates being provided with a vertical wall having a flange which unite to form a housing, a hanger member provided with spaced hooks to straddle the said vertical members and engage the pro jections thereon, and an adjusting-screw located in said. housing and engaging the hanger member.

9. In a door-hanger, an attaching means provided with a post at one end having lateral projections, a hanger member comprising two plates separated from each other at one end, and each plate provided at said end with a hook, the said hooks being constructed to straddle the post and engage the projections thereon, the plates being spaced apart at the opposite end portion to provide a passage-way, an interiorly-threaded block ried by the attaching means extending through the passage-Way and engaging the threaded block therein.

10. In a door-hanger, a hanger member, a door-attaching means associated with said hanger, a supporting member pivotally connected to said hanger member, rollers mounted on a shaft which passes through an open ing in said supporting member, a set of balls carried by said hanger member and constituting an antifriction-bearing for said shaft, and means to permit said shaft angular movement relative to said supporting member.

11. In a door-hanger, a hanger member, a door-attaching means associated with said hanger, a supporting member pivotally connected to said hanger member, rollers mounted on a shaft which passes through an enlarged opening in said supporting member, dish-shaped washers mounted on said shaft and forming with the periphery of said opening a ball-race, and antifriction-balls in said race on which said shaft runs.

12. In a door-hanger, the combination of a hanger member, and a door-attaching means associated with said hanger, with a supportto this specification in the presence of two subing member formed of a plate folded on itself scribing Witnesses.

and having its ends spread to straddle said hanger member, means to pivotally connect said plate and member, and rollers carried by Witnesses:

said plate and running on a track. HENRY UPSON SIMS, In testimony whereof I have signed my name HENRY R. HoUZE.

HENRY J. WVEISS. 

